Safer More Secure Campuses

Keeping a close eye on students, visitors, faculty members and campus property is a critical concern for today’s institutions

By Vance Kozik

Aug 01, 2012

To enhance the quality of the educational experience as well
as the safety of their students, many schools and universities
today view campus safety as a top priority. However, large
geographical footprints and the sheer number of areas to
watch can make executing a comprehensive security plan a
real challenge.

Fortunately, a growing number of schools are using their existing
data networks to build state-of-the-art surveillance systems
to optimize their campus security efforts. Through an integrated
network of advanced IP video cameras, switches, software and
storage, administrators can view activities in the classroom, laboratories,
libraries, parking lots and common areas, as well as public
arenas and dormitories—all in real time and with the ability to
playback from archives. Networked IP cameras put more “eyes”
on campus, helping to ensure greater peace of mind for district
administrators, campus leaders, faculty and students alike.

Enable school administrators to view, manage and record video
either locally or remotely using standard Internet browsers

Offer built-in motion detection triggers

Can provide instant surveillance alerts and updates

Offer options for virtually every size budget

IP Surveillance’s Far-Reaching Benefits
for Today’s Campuses:

Deter dark campus crime. When it’s after-hours—or the school
is closed for seasonal/holiday breaks—bored students or local
criminals may be tempted to vandalize school property, break
into buildings and steal valuable items, including computers,
sporting equipment, personal property or petty cash. IP surveillance
systems are proven to be a strong deterrent to criminal activities and can help:

Deter or catch individuals in the act—identifying them with
high-resolution images that can stand up in a court of law, if
necessary

Protect a school’s financial investment in technology, equipment
and resources

Increase security for schools that can’t afford security guards
or don’t have community policing support

Optimize the efforts of security personnel, enabling them to
view multiple locations at once and stretching budget dollars

An end-to-end IP surveillance solution includes IP cameras
that offer the crime-fighting surveillance capabilities schools need.
These cameras include night visibility, event-triggered recording,
high-definition resolution and electronic tamper-detection systems
that can sense whenever the camera has been redirected,
de-focused, blocked or spray-painted and respond promptly with
a visible or audible alarm. The IP surveillance solution also includes
reliable switches that ensure 24/7 surveillance of traffic and
scalable storage for reviewing footage recorded during off hours.
With the right video storage solution, 30, 60 or even 90 days of
video surveillance can be retained, aligning to most state and local
laws governing surveillance video retention.

Monitor entrances, perimeters and parking lots. Schools are
a hub of activity with not only students, teachers and faculty
members moving about, but also parents, delivery personnel and
unauthorized visitors. Well-positioned surveillance cameras are
ideal for monitoring this movement and activity at the perimeter
of the campus. After dark, this traffic occurs when fewer people
are nearby, increasing the risk of theft or assault. Some schools
also maintain day care programs with flexible morning and night
hours for students with children. Those children and employees
must be protected, as well, despite the fact that there are fewer
campus “watch dogs” on site after-hours.

These everyday concerns are dramatically escalated for
schools in high-crime urban districts. These schools not only need
to protect students, faculty and staff members during their time
on school grounds but also ensure their campus perimeters are
free from loitering people and would-be criminals.
To help, IP surveillance cameras:

Offer day/night capabilities, including WDR that prevents the
sun from washing out images when cameras are watching entrance
doors

Deliver special mounting options and hardware, including
wireless mounting for light poles to monitor parking lots and
rooftops

Provide greater peace of mind for students, faculty and staff

Monitor visitors, deliveries and other authorized but nonaccompanied
traffic

Stream video footage to storage devices for archival/playback
on demand, providing a record of all activity in the event of a
security breach or emergency

Calm the halls, campus and cafeteria. Not only can IP cameras
help maintain safety around campus, they also can discourage
student misbehavior, including bullying, fighting and vandalism.
In fact, conspicuously placed cameras have been shown to drastically
reduce threats of violence and vandalism. Furthermore, in
the event of an emergency or disaster, IP cameras can provide the
exact whereabouts of students, staff and faculty by:

Maintaining a sense of order in heavily trafficked public areas
and common spaces

Give district administrators hundreds of miles of visibility. Today’s
IP surveillance systems typically are accessed and managed
across the network, where the video—whether live or recorded—
can be viewed or stored and reviewed remotely online. This flexible
strategy is ideal for any multisite school district and allows
school principals to view their own school and grounds, while
enabling superintendents, campus security or even local law enforcement
to likewise view any and all schools in the entire district.
IP surveillance also can monitor district transportation centers,
enabling administrators to keep a close eye on school buses,
vans and valuable repair equipment.

Thanks to advanced software interfaces, modern IP surveillance
and software solutions have truly come of age. Today these
solutions can:

Provide online monitoring, through single or multiple viewing
stations across a district

Enable real-time viewing of multiple locations on a mobile device,
such as an iPhone or iPad

Deliver efficient storage and playback of video

Greatly expand the capabilities of a small staff and limited
resources

Cover multiple buildings and locations under district governance

Offer (optional) shared viewing with local law enforcement

Maximize existing network infrastructure. For most schools,
building a separate network to handle IP surveillance traffic can
be prohibitively expensive, considering the additional hardware,
cabling and installation costs as well as operating and maintenance
costs.

However, schools that have used E-Rate or ARRA funds to
upgrade their data networks can add a reliable, separate IP surveillance
network to their existing local area network. The resulting
hybrid network handles both data and surveillance traffic—a
cost-saving strategy that’s ideal for budget-conscious school districts.
And since the IP surveillance network resides on the existing
LAN, it’s easier to deploy and manage.

Campus security and student safety are paramount. An existing
LAN can be extended easily and cost-effectively with digital
high-resolution IP cameras, network switches, storage and software
to significantly improve campus security. Selecting a vendor
partner that specializes in full solutions is a critical part of the
equation and can ensure that a school’s end-to-end IP surveillance network performs efficiently for years to come.

A Case In Point

When the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
(UTHSC Houston) built a new 7,500-square-foot data center,
part of the facility design included the need for security cameras.

“We wanted to see who’s coming and going in this high-value
facility,” said Kevin Granhold, UTHSC Houston’s director of
data center operations and support services. “We also needed to
monitor entrances to remotely let people in if necessary.”

A security and surveillance solution allows the organization to
record activities within the data center, review incidents, monitor
who is performing what tasks throughout the day and keep track
of the general coming and going of employees.

“We were looking for an enterprise solution to help us manage
a few dozen cameras and assess any situation that might occur
within the data center,” Granhold said. “We also needed to consider
design issues with respect to wiring and camera placement.”

UTHSC evaluated the analog surveillance system used by the
University of Texas at Houston Police Department and reviewed
the associated costs. It also looked at technology issues such as
optical and digital zoom and camera capabilities in certain lighting
situations. The school’s research showed that network cameras
would be much less expensive than analog, from both an equipment
and wiring perspective. The university decided that it would
need wired Ethernet cameras because it didn’t want to add power
receptacles to accommodate wireless cameras. The school would
be able to power wired Ethernet cameras with PoE technology.

“We made a strategic decision to use PoE rather than putting
receptacles at each camera,” Granhold said. “From a cost perspective,
it was definitely advantageous to go with PoE cameras
using IP rather than your typical analog and cable cameras.”

After outlining options and conducting a site survey, recommendations
were made to accommodate the university’s coverage
needs and implement the proper cameras for specific applications.

UTHSC Houston purchased 30 network PoE cameras with a
mix of digital and optical zoom. It tied the IP surveillance network
together with a 24-port PoE switch and PoE adapters. This
separate network links to the production network via one uplink.
Keeping the video network separate provides a higher level of
security, and IT staff can treat it as a distinct entity outside of the
production network.

The system mostly is used for security and surveillance purposes,
as opposed to monitoring student activity. Within weeks
of the installation, the university was able to analyze a theft incident
with the recordings. UTHSC Houston police have asked to
view the recordings to examine incidents that
have taken place on the property.

“I think it’s a really good tool,” Granhold
said. “We have a really big investment in our
data and equipment, so it’s necessary.”

This article originally appeared in the August 2012 issue of Security Today.